杂技团 (zá jì tuán) — acrobatic troupe

Definition

noun
acrobatic troupe
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 杂技团。
    Zhè ge zá jì tuán lái zì zhōng guó.
    This acrobatic troupe comes from China.
  • 杂技团。
    Wǒ zuó tiān qù kàn le yí gè zá jì tuán de biǎo yǎn.
    I went to see a performance by an acrobatic troupe yesterday.
  • 杂技团。
    Nà ge zá jì tuán zài quán shì jiè dōu hěn yǒu míng.
    That acrobatic troupe is famous worldwide.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

杂技acrobatics
杂zámiscellaneous技jìskill
偏正Modifier + head
团tuántroupe

杂技 means miscellaneous skills, and 团 means group, so the whole names an acrobatic troupe.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雜; 杂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
集
集jí雜zá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雜 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 集 as a sound part, originally referring to mixed colours, perhaps in dyed clothes; the simplified 杂 is a later shorthand.

Open 杂 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī技jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

技 pairs 扌 (hand) with 支, which gives the sound. The hand part fits the idea of skill or ability done with the hands.

Open 技 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 團; 团 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān團tuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 團 combines 囗 as a meaning part with 專 as a sound part; the story is about 團, not about 团.

Open 团 →

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